1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for use in conjunction with fabrics and garments. More specifically, the present invention relates to a straight-edge blade and clip assembly used as an accessory to ironing to create folds or creases in fabrics and garments.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well-known that the military requires soldiers to maintain an external appearance which is neat and clean to the utmost degree. Part of the required appearance in many types of military apparel involves the presence of creases at pre-determined locations in various items of clothing. In keeping with the general character of the military dress-code, it is strongly desirable that these creases be of an extremely clean, sharp, and straight character, and that they be located the proper distances relative to one another and relative to other features of the clothing item on which they are present.
The task of ironing creases into clothing can be time-consuming and highly imprecise if the task is undertaken merely with the use of the naked eye to discern the proper lengths and locations of the creases thereon. Thus, a need exists for a device which can aid the process of ironing creases into garments by assuring that the creases themselves are straight and sharp, that they are of the proper length, and that they are in the proper location relative to one another and to other features of the garment. It is, moreover, desirable that a device of this type be easy to use and convenient to store, as military personnel are frequently in a situation where available storage space for personal belongings is extremely limited.
Garment creasers have been the subject of earlier patents. U.S. Pat. No. 562,276, issued to Boyd, discloses a device specifically designed to create front and rear creases in trousers. The device consists of a plurality of boards which are used to sandwich the legs of the trousers in a single stack, and a set of clips to apply pressure to the resultant stack. U.S. Pat. No. 718,939, issued to Pike, describes a similar configuration involving the use of a plurality of boards in conjunction with a pressure clamp which is tightened by means of thumb screws. U.S. Pat. No. 970,586, issued to Whitaker, describes a pair of hingedly connected boards operating on a principle similar to that employed in the two aforementioned patents, but intended to tightly hold together different layers of cloth to facilitate their being whipped-stitched together.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,439,845, issued to Lester, Jr., describes an apparatus for creasing trousers operating on a somewhat different principle from the aforementioned inventions. The device consists of a pair of C-shaped elements whose outer longitudinal edges are of a substantially triangular cross-section, and which are interconnected by means of thumb-screws. The outward-facing apices of these triangles are used to apply pressure along the length of pant-legs on opposite sides thereof by suitable adjustment of the locations of the C-shaped elements relative to one another. The triangularly cross-sectioned edges create creases by the passage of electrical current therethrough to heat them. The creasing effect resulting from this heating process may be augmented by the application of steam to the pants from steam-chambers built into the creasing edges.
A device based on yet another operating principle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,155, issued to Sprong. This patent discloses an adjustable fabric pleater guide intended for employment in the spacing and forming of pinch pleats in draperies. It consists of a blade-shaped base member having a plurality of fingers perpendicularly attached thereto. Some fingers are permanently affixed; others are variably positionable along the length of the base by means of sliding and are affixed thereto by a nut and bolt combination. By positioning these fingers appropriately and folding the drapery therebetween according to a specific method, it is possible to create a set of evenly spaced pleats therein.
However, none of the aforementioned devices are aptly suited for use by military personnel because they all take up a considerable amount of storage space. Moreover, the majority of these devices are specifically geared to creating lengthy creases in the front and rear sides of pants or along a significant portion of the length of drapes. It is therefore not possible to use them to create creases having shorter, precisely defined lengths, and exact positions relative to other features in a garment. Moreover, the aforementioned devices are altogether difficult to employ in conjunction with any type of garment other than the type for which they were specifically designed.
The prior art also discloses some devices differing significantly from the invention to be claimed herein as regards function, but bearing more structural similarity thereto than the previously cited references. These include U.S. Pat. No. 83,115, issued to Wilcox, which discloses a combination paper cutter and ruler; and U.S. Pat. No. 742,373, issued to Alden, which describes a combination envelope opener, folder, and ruler. Both inventions lack a structural feature which, as described below, is essential to the structure and function of the present invention, namely, the presence of a plurality of clips which closely fit over the edges of the ruler. Moreover, neither of the two aforementioned inventions is specifically constructed from heat-resistant material, rendering them both entirely unsuited to the purposes fulfilled by the invention to be claimed in the present specification.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,613, describes a garment clip bearing similarities in some respects to the clips comprising part of the present invention. The facing sides of that particular clip are designed to exert pressure against one another, however, and differ in this respect from the clips comprising part of the present invention.
For these reasons, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the present invention as claimed.